Ahmad Naweed Shirzad was engaged on a documentary north of Kabul, Afghanistan, final yr together with his co-workers when he discovered the Taliban was taking energy in provinces all through the nation.
As he and his crew traveled to Kabul to hunt security, Shirzad stated they had been ambushed by Taliban fighters who severely injured his arm and killed somebody on his safety element, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. After Shirzad recovered within the hospital, he acquired a name from the documentary’s director telling him to go to the airport to catch a U.S. navy flight out of Afghanistan.
Shirzad is without doubt one of the 60,000 Afghan immigrants who've resettled within the U.S. whereas a humanitarian disaster unfolds in Afghanistan. Of these, simply over 900 Afghan refugees have moved to Utah — the biggest refugee resettlement within the state’s historical past.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox final week introduced a plan to assist assimilate Afghan immigrants, a lot of whom are deemed humanitarian parolees, within the state by providing them housing, schooling and work alternatives.
“For the reason that swift evacuation that occurred in August of final yr, a little bit greater than 900 of the arrivals assigned to our state have now been resettled in Utah,” Cox stated throughout a information convention within the Capitol.
“This group contains people who labored carefully with and had been essential allies to the U.S. authorities in Afghanistan,” he stated. “They’re right here with their households and their youngsters to construct a brand new life.”
Cox stated the state would provide workforce coaching to Afghan refugees that features English and expertise programs. He additionally stated the state raised about $1 million for the Utah Afghan Neighborhood Fund, used to pay for authorized assist, cellphones and different requirements for Afghan arrivals.
“They arrived in Utah with permission to work and we’re serving to them discover good jobs,” Cox stated. “We acknowledge the unimaginable abilities, skills and life experiences that these Afghans carry to our labor pressure. They are going to be great additions in filling much-needed job vacancies within the state.”
Cox stated he was fearful about discovering housing for Afghan refugees, particularly because the state faces a housing scarcity disaster. He referred to as on Utahns to assist safe 50 extra housing items for 220 people by the top of March.
“Ensuring that we’re capable of finding everlasting housing ... for these refugees stays a really excessive precedence,” he stated. “We’re nonetheless some brief and that’s the place we are able to nonetheless use a little bit assist.”
Cox referred to as resettling lots of of refugees within the state an “monumental process,” however stated the work was attainable with the assistance of resettlement businesses just like the Utah Refugee Companies Workplace, the Worldwide Rescue Committee and Catholic Neighborhood Companies.
After leaving Afghanistan in August, Shirzad frolicked in Qatar and at a U.S. navy base earlier than settling in Utah in December of final yr.
“I really feel very protected right here,” Shirzad stated by way of a translator. “And I discovered Utah is a logo of humanity, democracy and freedom by all means.”
Shirzad hopes that he can discover employment in Utah making documentaries once more.
Shirzad stated his spouse, two youngsters and father are nonetheless residing again in Afghanistan. He retains photographs of his youngsters on his cellphone however he doesn't know if they may be capable to transfer to the U.S. to hitch him.
Cox just lately signed a invoice sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Carol Spackman Moss that may enable humanitarian parolees to have entry to an interpreter when acquiring a state driver’s license.
“We're grateful for the Legislature’s willingness to tackle points impacting not solely Afghan arrivals but in addition refugees coming to the state,” he stated.
One other invoice that may serve Utah’s immigrant communities would enable people to take a driver’s license examination in a language apart from English, Cox added.
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